Tuesday, July 31, 2012

MUSCATATUCK URBAN TRAINING CENTER, Ind. - After a simulated 10-kiloton nuclear detonation in a major Midwestern city, specialized teams of Guard members from Tennessee and Ohio began clearing routes and monitoring radiation, July 26, in advance of federal response forces.

The Weapons of Mass Destruction -- Civil Support Teams conducted assessments as part of Vibrant Response 13, a major incident exercise conducted by U.S. Northern Command and led by U.S. Army North.

More than 9,000 service members and civilians are taking part in the exercise from July 25-Aug. 13 at the unique disaster training area at Muscatatuck and 10 other training areas and airfields in southern Indiana and northern Kentucky.

“We are here in support of a simulated nuclear detonation incident,” said Army Lt. Col. Jeff Brown, commander, 45th WMD-CST. “We are assisting with clearing routes, containment and assisting victims.”

The teams were established in the wake of 9/11 to deploy rapidly, assist local first responders in determining the precise nature of an incident, provide expert medical and technical advice and help pave the way for the identification and arrival of follow-on military support. Civil Support Teams can assess chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear or CBRN threats

“This unit is really adapted to survey and reconnaissance missions,” Johnson said. “And, they interact with civilian personnel very well.”

This is the first Vibrant Response exercise for the 22-man team from Tennessee but they have participated in several national-level exercises and have responded to real-world incidents.

“We had a Ricin incident, and we have responded to white powder incidents in addition to numerous stand-bys,” said Army Capt. Shawn Chance, survey team leader, 45th WMD-CST. Ricin is a highly toxic, naturally occurring protein - a dose as small as a few grains of salt can kill an adult human.

The job is dangerous, but the team members said they welcomed the challenge.

“I look at it as it's no different than a firefighter or any other first responder,” said Army Staff Sgt. Michael King, survey team chief, 45th WMD-CST. “Someone has to go in.”

When responding to possible radiation, there are safeguards in place to protect the Soldiers and Airmen on the team from radiation exposure and acute radiation sickness, said Army Maj. Donnie Allen, physician assistant, 45th WMD-CST.

“They have multiple monitoring devices, proper protective equipment and 'turn-back' criteria in place to protect them,” Allen said. “Low levels of radiation exposure are very survivable.”

After the specialized civil support teams cleared the routes and marked the “hot-zones,” the Ohio National Guard CBRN Enhanced Response Force Package, part of the Region V Homeland Response Force, was able to enter the area to evacuate civilians from a collapsed parking garage, decontaminate and triage the 'victims,' played by civilian role-players in moulage, and to evacuate them to safety as quickly as possible.

The Vibrant Response field training exercise is scripted to follow what would really happen in case of an unthinkable incident like a small, 'dirty' nuclear bomb detonation in a major city.

“Initially, after a catastrophic incident, local and state responders will be the first ones on the ground,” said Army Capt. Kenneth Murray, observer/controller/trainer, Joint Interagency Training and Education Center, West Virginia National Guard.

“Then, the civil support teams will assess the situation and the Homeland Response Force will be the first federalized unit that's going to be on the ground to provide decontamination for the sick and injured and relief for the first responders,” he said.

Monday, July 30, 2012

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- The P-8A Poseidon jet, a replacement maritime patrol aircraft for the P-3C Orion, made its Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise debut this year, flown by two air crews from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 1 at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, during the 23rd edition of the biennial exercise .

"While the P-3C Orion is a very forgiving aircraft and has served the fleet very well, the P-8A Poseidon is easier to fly, trims well, and handles flawlessly [at low altitude]," said Lt. Cmdr. Chris Artis, VX-1 maintenance officer and integrated training team pilot. "It's easy to maneuver, and the situational awareness in the cockpit is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Getting used to the technology and the different displays can be a challenge, but overall it's fun to fly."

The VX-1 crews flew two P-8As during 24 exercise events ranging from routine test flights to simulated anti-submarine warfare. VX-1 officials said training requirements are extensive in the P-8A because of the complexity and the speed of the aircraft, and that RIMPAC provided extensive, open airspace and a robust exercise schedule where the squadron could demonstrate the capability of the new aircraft.

"The addition of two P-8A aircraft from Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 enabled us to get an early look at how we can integrate this new platform in a Joint and Combined operating environment," said Adm. Cecil D. Haney, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, who flew a mission with VX-1 earlier in the week. "I had the opportunity to personally observe its great potential during a flight where the crew demonstrated each weapon system while we conducted ASW and ISR."

The P-8A is based on the Boeing 737-800ERX airliner, but incorporates a host of modifications. The Poseidon will replace the P-3C Orion, now in its 50th year of service, as a long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. It will maximize the experience and technology of the Orion but with significant growth potential, greater payload capacity, advanced mission systems, software and communications. Six additional fuel tanks in P-8As allow for the jet's extended range.

"The P-3C is an aging airframe with aging systems on board." said Cmdr. Gregory Sleppy, VX-1 operational test director for the P-8. "It's becoming very expensive to operate because of the age of the airframe, and has been up for 50 years; that's half the life of [naval] aviation."

P-8As feature Raytheon multi-mission surface search radars, and incorporate a short bomb bay aft of the wings for torpedoes, sonobouys (small expendable sonar capsules that are dropped or ejected from the aircraft for anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic research), and cargo.

"We can look forward to an increased availability rate right off the bat," said Sleppy. "Next you're going to see a more interoperable platform. The communications suite on the aircraft is far more advanced. Those are going to be the immediate things that the fleet commanders are going to see."

Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, over 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in the RIMPAC exercise from June 29 to Aug. 3 in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971.

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- The Navy made Pax River history July 29 after it conducted the naval air station's historic first flight of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator.

At 11 a.m., the tailless, unmanned aircraft launched from Pax River and flew for a planned 35 minutes. The aircraft reached an altitude of 7,500 feet and an air speed of 180 knots during its flight over the Chesapeake Bay before successfully landing back at Pax River.

"This milestone event is the first of many flights at Pax River to demonstrate X-47B's compatibility with aircraft carrier flight procedures and launch/recovery equipment," said Matt Funk, UCAS lead test engineer. "The unique airspace and ship equipment at Pax River allow us to conduct the testing here before we land aboard the aircraft carrier next year."

The X-47B traveled from Edwards Air Force base, Calif., to Pax River in June to enter its next phase of testing. UCAS-D team members will utilize the specialized testing capabilities and facilities available at Pax River in the coming months to validate the X-47B's ability to perform in an aircraft carrier environment.

One of the testing facilities at Pax River is a simulated aircraft carrier environment, which will allow team members to ensure the aircraft is ready to operate in testing at sea. Land-based testing will establish X-47B has the ability to conduct precision approaches and to perform arrested landings and catapult launches prior to actual aircraft carrier operations.

"The X-47B's flight today is another important step closer to the Navy's vision of operating tailless, autonomous, unmanned systems from aircraft carriers," said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, Navy UCAS program manager.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (NNS) -- Naval Aviators and local leaders joined together aboard Naval Air Station Corpus Christi to welcome the newest training aircraft to Training Air Wing 4, July 26.

The first two T-6B Texan II aircraft arrived in front of a hangar full of naval officers and guests, signaling the official start of the turnover from the T-34C Turbo Mentor to the T-6B for primary flight training at Training Air Wing 4.

The event featured a fly-by of the new aircraft, arrival of the T-6Bs to the hangar, brief speeches, a cake cutting at the reception, and a demonstration of the T-6 simulators. Rear Adm. William Sizemore, the chief of Naval Air Training Command, served as the featured speaker.

At the ceremony, Sizemore said that more than 30 years ago, the T-34C ushered the Navy air training from piston age into the jet age, and that the T-6B is another great advancement.

"The all-digital T-6B is a quantum leap over the T-34C and is the perfect aircraft to train and introduce our future naval aviators to the digital age and all-glass cockpit aircraft already in our advance pipelines and in the fleet," Sizemore said.

The T-6B, along with its state-of-the-art visual simulators and computer aided academics will enable the Navy to train naval aviators more efficiently, more effectively, and safer than ever before. And, while the simulators will not replace training in the air, it will complement and better prepare student naval aviators to make their airborne training more effective and more productive, explained Sizemore.

Initially, the new aircraft will be used for training instructor pilots. Student pilots from Training Squadron 27 are expected to begin flying the new aircraft early next year.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AFNS) -- The TG-10C gliders that have been the Academy's sailplane of choice for basic and aerobatic training for the last decade ascended for its final flight here Monday.

The TG-10 trainer, which has been replaced by the new German TG-16A model, was flown for the last time on Academy grounds by Cadet 2nd Class Kurt Luithly, who flew the plane as a check ride to upgrade as a cadet instructor pilot. His evaluator, Lt. Col. Jeff Riddlebarger, an Air Force reservist, said it was one of the best check rides he'd seen.

"Luithly was very successful due to excellent discipline standards and leadership," said Lt. Col. Richard Roller, commander of the 94th Flying Training Squadron. "That's what the soaring program is all about: discipline, enthusiasm and teamwork."

Twelve TG-10 planes were brought to the Academy in May 2002, and used to give cadets firsthand experience flying an aircraft. The planes are no longer being manufactured, but can still be flown and were transferred to the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, Civil Air Patrol.

"They were used for 140,000 flights," Roller said. The TG-10 flew as high as 24,000 feet and had a record duration of 6.1 hours.

The Academy has received 15 TG-16s and will import four more. Five are smoke-capable and can perform aerial demonstrations. The remaining 14 are non-smoke capable and will be used for training purposes only.

"I'm really looking forward to training cadets again with the TG-16 as well as taking it on the road to air shows and hopefully football games," Roller said. "It's a great recruiting tool for the Academy."

Roller said the TG-16 is aesthetically pleasing and white instead of yellow. It also features a lightning bolt symbol similar to those on the Falcons' athletic gear.

"It's a good-looking glider," Roller said. "These gliders are a brand new look for the Academy, a new face to the soaring program and are made of fiber-glass instead of sheet metal. It's leading-edge soaring equipment."

The TG-16 is an overall upgrade because it's a newer product, can soar faster and has an extended service life, Roller said.

"The TG-10 had a 28 to 1 glide ratio and the TG-16 has approximately a 42 to 1 ratio," Roller said.

The biggest challenge with the new model has been getting cadets qualified in time to fly the TG-16 and get through the program, Roller said.

"Due to the use of a new airplane, a new technical order had to be written and cadets will have to restudy and relearn how to fly the airplane," Roller said. "A lot of work has taken place behind the scenes to transition to this new model. There is still a lot of work to be done to reach top airmanship, leadership and victory."

The TG-16s were first tested at Edwards Air Force base, Calif., to ensure Air Force regulations were met before they were shipped to the Academy.

Roller said new cadets began to use the new plane July 16. He said the core of the mission is for cadets to be leaders on the airfield and run the program on their own.

"We have the youngest instructor pilots in the country and train the most inexperienced," Roller said. "These young men and women are making life and death decisions flying solo in these planes. Our goal is to develop leaders of character and I think these new airplanes will help achieve that. I'm looking forward to them excelling in this model."

HSM-74 embarked Normandy, a Norfolk-based, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, in early May to provide helicopter assets in support of the 40th annual Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) and FRUKUS 2012 multinational exercises.

BALTOPS is an annual event to promote mutual understanding and interoperability among forces of partnering nations. During BALTOPS '12, twenty-seven ships from twelve NATO and Partnership for Peace (PFP) countries participated. Additionally, there were more than 20 aircraft from eight NATO and PFP nations participating in this large scale Baltic Sea exercise.

"The opportunity to work with foreign nations in planning and execution is an invaluable learning experience for our junior and more experienced pilots alike," said Lt. Andrew Howerton, HSM-74 operations officer. "More importantly, the ability to hone our skills and tactics in a new environment against unfamiliar platforms provided unparalleled training opportunities and experience to all those involved."

FRUKUS is an annual, multinational training exercise between the countries of France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Russian navy hosted this year's five day training mission which involved coordination between Normandy, French frigate De Grasse (D612), Russian naval vessel Yaroslav Mudriy (727), and royal navy destroyer HMS York (D98).

"Working so closely with other sailors from around the world was my favorite part," said Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Brad Hill, a maintainer with HSM-74. "Seeing how we work with other countries, seeing their ships up close, and training with different navies brought a unique international camaraderie."

"Embarking Normandy has been a terrific opportunity for our detachment to operate at sea and gain invaluable deployed experience for future operations" said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Baker, officer in charge of HSM-74 Detachment 3.

HSM-74 is stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla. and is one of eight squadrons assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3.

The ship is named in honor of the courageous passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93. Their actions prevented terrorist hijackers from reaching their destination only to have the airplane crash near Shanksville in Somerset County, Pa., Sept. 11, 2001.

Patrick White, president of the Families of Flight 93, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Mary Jo Myers, the wife of Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the ship's sponsor, and in accordance with Navy tradition, will break a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship.

During the weeks following the Flight 93 crash, recovery personnel retrieved more than 95 percent of the airplane's wreckage from the crash site. An American flag was hoisted on the top of a power shovel or "dragline" on a hill dominating the area. The dragline had been used in coal stripping at one time, and the equipment with the flag became a symbol of the effort.

In the summer of 2008, steel from the dragline's bucket was melted down and cast into Somerset's bow stem. Somerset is the final of three ships named to honor heroes of the September 11 attacks, joining the USS New York and USS Arlington, respectively.

Designated LPD 25, Somerset is the ninth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. These versatile ships incorporate both a flight deck to accommodate CH-46 helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and a well deck that can launch and recover landing craft and amphibious vehicles. The San Antonio class' increased vehicle space and substantial cargo-carrying capacity make it a key element of 21st century Amphibious Ready Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Joint Task Forces.

Somerset will provide improved warfighting capabilities, including an advanced command-and-control suite, increased lift-capability in vehicle and cargo-carrying capacity and advanced ship-survivability features. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines.

The future USS Somerset will be the fifth U.S. naval vessel to carry the name Somerset. The four previous ships of that name were a side-wheeled ferryboat (1862-1865), a motorboat (1918), a transport (1945), and a patrol escort (1944-1955).

The ship will be led by a crew of 360 officers, enlisted personnel and Marines. The 24,900-ton Somerset is being built at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Avondale, La. The ship is 684 feet in length, has an overall beam of 105 feet, and a navigational draft of 23 feet. Four turbo-charged diesels power the ship to sustained speeds of 22 knots.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

At Sea (NNS) -- The "Fighting Tigers" of Patrol Squadron (VP)8 took part in a coordinated operations mining exercise (MINEX) with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), July 19.

The exercise took place in northern Japan's Mutsu Bay and consisted of VP-8 and JMDSF P-3C Orion aircraft operating with the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Guardian (MCM 5), as well as 23 Japanese small mine countermeasures ships (SMCMS) and aircraft from the 111th Helicopter Flight Squadron.

The focus of the exercise was on maintaining clear and precise communication and coordination with the bilateral partners, while also concentrating on tactical mine employment, hunting, and recovery.

During the exercise, The "Fighting Tigers" successfully coordinated and executed the employment of two MK-65 Quick Strike Mines between two rows of Japanese ships. The MK-65 is a recoverable inert-loaded mine, identical in size and weight to its explosive-loaded service mine counterpart, which is employed by the P-3C Orion, B-52H Stratofortress aircraft, F/A-18A-D Hornet, and B-1B Lancer.

The mines were hunted using SONAR and later recovered by a team of highly trained deep sea divers.

"Working with the Japanese forces is always a rewarding experience," said Lt. Dan Kuriluk, aircraft commander for the mission. "The mission was challenging. Overcoming the initial language barrier, as well as flying between mountains, while in the vicinity of so many ships made it tough, but I'm extremely proud of the way our entire crew prepared and performed today."

According to Lt. Jack Vine, a VP-8 patrol plane pilot, preparation and training were the keys to success for the Tigers.

"It was such a valuable training experience," he said. "Scenery was breath taking, the flying was challenging; it was the experience of a lifetime," Vine said.

Blog Editor Note: This has been a very common occurence since DoD stood up their 380-399.9 MHz LMR subband. Back in 2003, I first documented the garage door interefence vs DoD trunk LMR system in my Monitoring Times Milcom column at Eglin AFB, Fl. When I called the PAO at Eglin and asked about what was causing the problem, they released a statement to me that they had just stood up a new 380-399.9 trunked radio system on their base. In my June 2004 Milcom column, I finally uncovered the paper trail on these new DoD LMR system:

"In a Deputy Secretary of Defense memorandum date August 1, 2001, the various military departments were given specific guidance regarding the purchase of equipment for Land Mobile Radio (LMR) Systems. This memo addressed the existing mandates set down in the NTIA Redbook regarding the change to narrowband technologies between 2005-2008 (see our April 2004 Milcom column in MT).

"But there was also an interesting mention of another LMR allocation in the 225-400 MHz band.

“In addition, new LMR radios or services procured after the promulgation date of this memorandum (1 Aug 2001-LVH) that operate in the 380-399.9 MHz band (which is not subject to the NTIA mandate) shall nevertheless be designed for narrowband (12.5 kHz) operation in order to make efficient use of the available spectrum.”

"So apparently what we have here is a hidden LMR band that has been created by the Department of Defense for use by the military only."

So the hits keep on coming as illustrated in the article below from the Stars and Stripes website. Story By Jennifer McDermott, The Day, New London, Conn.

MONTVILLE, Conn. — Sondra Tuchman used to open her garage door from halfway down the block. Now she has to get out of her car, stand in front of the door and press the remote. Sometimes she gives up and just walks through a side door.

On Thursday, Tuchman and a neighbor in the Hillcrest senior retirement community collected the signatures of about 50 people in their Uncasville neighborhood who said their garage doors also weren't working.

Tuchman said a salesman from Overhead Door Company of Norwich, Inc. told her the company had received similar complaints from customers in Groton, New London, Waterford, Montville and Gales Ferry. The company referred questions about the problem to the corporate office, saying that its equipment was not defective.

Rather, a new radio system operating at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton may be to blame. Known as Enterprise Land Mobile Radio, the communications system is being used at most U.S. military installations to connect military personnel and civilian first responders over a wide area, and it "may interfere with nearby garage door openers in the surrounding community," said base spokesman Chris Zendan.

The base began using the system in July 2011. ELMR uses radio frequencies between 380 and 399.9 megahertz, which have been reserved for the Department of Defense since World War II for air and ground communications but have been underutilized until now.

Some radio-controlled garage door openers operate legally at very low power on the same frequencies but are not licensed to do so. Because they are unlicensed devices, the owner/operator has no right to protection from interference.

"In response to the increased needs of homeland security, the Department of Defense now must make more use of these frequencies to deploy new mobile radio systems on and around certain military bases," the Federal Communications Commission said in a public notice. "Some consumers near these bases may experience interference to their garage door openers that can reduce operating range or cause the remote control to cease functioning."

Residents in communities near military bases across the country, from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia and Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island, have reported jammed garage doors. The Providence Journal reported in May 2011 that a public relations consultant for Warwick's Overhead Door Co. said the company ordered replacement parts and will install them for free.

The commander of the Groton submarine base can't modify the system because of complaints from local residents or offer any compensation to those affected, Zendan said. The base has only heard from one other person complaining of a possible interference issue — in December 2011, he added.

Tuchman said she was told by Overhead Door Company she would have to pay about $300 to change her system to another frequency. A manager at the company told a reporter that replacing the equipment is "not our responsibility" because "it all has to do with homeland security."

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Recently came across a pdf document online dated Feb 2012 titked USAF Force Structure Changes: Sustaining Readiness and Modernizing the Total Force. It outlines the forces restructuring currently underway in the various US Air Force components. Milair geeks may be interested in the following changes outlined below from that document.

As a Total Force – Active Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve ‐‐ we have developed a detailed re‐missioning plan that realigns continuing missions to preserve 14 of 24 units, maintains an Air Force presence on seven of the eight affected installations, expands Reserve Component participation in our growing ISR mission, and preserves an appropriate Active and Reserve Component force mix. The Air Force FY13 budget request commits approximately $600 million over the FYDP to execute and sustain re‐missioning actions that establish new MQ‐1/9 Remote Split Operations Squadrons, transfer the MC‐12 fleet to the Air National Guard, thicken Reserve Component ISR and cyber participation, and transfer Active Component C‐17s tothe Reserve Component.

Transfers 42 Active Component MC‐12s to the Air National Guard by assigning between nine and eleven aircraft to each of four Air National Guard locations ‐‐ Ft Wayne, IN (replacing A‐10s), Bradley, CT (replacing C‐27s), Key Field AGS (Meridian), MS (replacing C‐27s), and NAS Ft Worth JRB (Carswell), TX (replacing C‐130s).

Creates an Active Association at Beale AFB, CA to conduct MC‐12 training and provides an additional deployed Combat Air Patrol forward using up to six Air National Guard aircraft. Final aircraft assignments for the four Air National Guard locations and the Active association at Beale will be determined as part of the AirForce's FY14 budget submission after completion of a program plan and operational concept.

Truman's flight deck certification was the result of the hard work of all the Sailors and Marines underway with Truman, said Lt. James Sandifer, carrier air traffic control center (CATCC) watch officer.

Flight deck certification included qualifying CVW-3's air crew and getting Truman's flight deck personnel back into the swing of air operations, said Lt. Cmdr. David Walston, V-0's division officer from air department.

To become flight deck certified, Truman required 120 launches and recoveries during the day and 40 during the night across the span of three days.

"Completing flight deck certification was a team effort between Truman's crew and the air wing," said Walston. "The drills were accomplished because we were able to quickly come together as a team."

The precision approach landing system (PALS) also played an integral role during certification. The PALS sends a radar signal to pilots, which assists them in correcting aircraft to successfully land aboard Truman. PALS is inspected and certified by Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic personnel.

In addition to launching and recovering aircraft, the crew had to conduct several fire drills and taxi drills to transport the jets around the flight deck and hangar bays.

The air wing supported Truman during flight deck certification, and now Truman can support air wing pilots as they earn carrier qualifications, said Walston.

"We have the best working relationship between crew and air wing that I have ever seen," said Walston. "The pilots trust our Sailors on the flight deck, and in turn, the flight deck Sailors trust the pilots."

Now that flight deck certification is complete, the Truman/CVW-3 team will continue preparing for deployment by conducting carrier qualifications.